Text Box: UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FARMINGTONCOLLEGE OF EDUCAION, HEALTH AND REHABILITATION
Text Box:
LESSON PLAN FORMAT Teacher’s Name: Rebecca Bubier Date of Lesson: One Grade Level: 8 Topic: Earth Cycles
Objectives:
Student will understand that the water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle and energy cycle are all important to earth’s complex system
Student will know terminology: water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle and energy cycle. Students will know terms related to those cycles.
Student will be able to do illustrate their knowledge of the earth’s cycles and how they interact with each other.
Maine Learning Results Alignment
MaineLearning Results: Science and Technology
E. The Living Environment
D2 Earth
Grades 6-8
Students describe the various cycles, physical and biological forces and processes, position in space, energy transformations, and human actions that affect the short-term and long-terms changes to the earth. d. Describe significant Earth Resources and how their limited supply affects how they are used.
Rationale: This whole lesson is about various cycles that affect short-term and long-term changes to the earth. It is an introduction to earth’s cycles, earth as a system and seeing the things we do to the earth and how it can affect the earth and other people through these cycles.
Assessment
Formative (Assessment for Learning)
I will be able to see if students have an understanding of cycles while they are working on their body maps. If they do not understand the concepts there will be times for them to pause and for me to evaluate if they are having success in recreating the cycles.
Summative (Assessment of Learning)
Students will be graded on the success of their wiki space. They will each create a page similar to a blog but must be interactive and include pictures and links. They will have to present these to the class but it will be very informal. They are just going to talk about what they did during their body map and define the terms and talk a little about the cycle and where the students can get more information. It is going to be used as a study guide and a reference for the further lessons. All of this information is integrated in just about every lesson.
Integration
English – students will be using their writing skills to create their wiki and write about what they have experienced. Technology – students will use the wiki as a resource for the other lessons. They have to use links and pictures and have interaction with other students.
Groupings
Students will volunteer to be a part of the cycle activity. For the some of the cycles only a few students are needed. For other cycles, a lot of students will be needed. Everyone must participate at least once. If I do not have enough participants, cards will be handed out. For their wikis. There should be five groups of four. In order to pick those groups, students will be given a piece of a puzzle. The puzzle piece will be a piece of a picture of the cycle that they will be writing about. Once they put it together they will discover the cycle, and their group members. There are two different energy cycles that we are studying. There will be two groups doing energy.
Differentiated Instruction
Strategies Linguistic – students will be using language and reading skills with the body map activity. They will be using those skills to create the wiki. Logical – Mathematical – students will have an opportunity to take a very visual and kinesthetic activity and turn it into an outline of the most important information. Spatial – there will be pictures on one of the note cards for every group. They will be able to visualize the cycle as they are moving and use the pictures on the cards for reference. Bodily – Kinesthetic – students will be moving around the room as a cycle, they will be using their bodies to create pieces and parts of the cycle. Musical – music will be incorporated similarly to musical chairs. When the music stops, the students will stop and they will evaluate their roles in the cycle. Interpersonal – students will be working in the groups with their cycle-mates. Intrapersonal – students will be completing the blog in pieces by themselves. They will eventually combine the information, but can break it up into parts and complete it on their own. Naturalist – students will be studying earth cycles, something that occurs everywhere in the natural world.
Modifications/Accommodations I will review student’s IEP, 504 or ELLIDEP and make appropriate modifications and accommodations.
If a student is absent, he or she will have to read everyone’s wiki and get the information. They will have to contribute to one of the wikis in some way. If there are any groups with a role missing, that will be given to the absent students. All information will be given to that student by me; any additional questions will be addressed by me.
For gifted students or students that have prior knowledge of earth cycles, or students who finish their wiki will have the opportunity to create a wiki for elementary students. They will be asked to try to figure out widgets and other additions to wikis such as music and other things to integrate. They can learn how to create their own wiki, and edit their home page.
Extensions
Students will be using type II technology to create a wiki that has links, pictures and videos. They will be commenting on each other’s wiki to see if their information is sufficient for what they think they need to know. There will be both constructive criticism and positive feedback to help the students improve their wiki.
Maine Standards for Initial Teacher Certification and Rationale
Standard 3 - Demonstrates a knowledge of the diverse ways in which students learn and develop by providing learning opportunities that support their intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and cultural development. Rationale: I used the theory of different learning styles to successfully accommodate different ways in which students learn. It is important that students are in a comfortable and supporting environment in my classroom. Beach Ball -Students will have the opportunity to search the web for information, and write their wiki. They will have the choice of which role they take in wiki writing. The body map activity will be very chaotic with music and lots of moving. Students will have to participate and feel spontaneous. Clipboard – Students will have instructions written on note cards, that they can keep with them. They will have defined roles for their participation in the body map activity. Microscope - Students really have to incorporate the knowledge that they just gained about different cycles. They have to use the information to create a study guide for their fellow classmates and themselves. They have to answer questions regarding their roles in the body map activity. Puppy - There is no question that there is an environment of respect in my classroom. Students will be respectful of the questions that students have and also the language in which they are using around all students.
Standard 4 - Plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, curriculum goals, and learning and development theory. Rationale: I used one of the facets of understanding because I feel that it is more important that students have a wide range of information looking at cycles and functions in earth’s system. The point of this lesson is just to introduce cycles and the basic concept of earth as a system. It is not designed to be in depth, which will come later in the unit.
Students will illustrate their knowledge of the earth’s cycles and how they interact with each other.
Standard 5 - Understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies and appropriate technology to meet students’ needs. Rationale: I used the theory of multiple intelligences because I feel it is the best way to accommodate all types of learners and to maintain a sense of equality among students in my classroom.
Linguistic – students will be using language and reading skills with the body map activity. They will be using those skills to create the wiki. Logical-mathematical – students will have an opportunity to take a very visual and kinesthetic activity and turn it into an outline of the most important information. Spatial – there will be pictures on one of the note cards for every group. They will be able to visualize the cycle as they are moving and use the pictures on the cards for reference. Bodily-kinesthetic – students will be moving around the room as a cycle, they will be using their bodies to create pieces and parts of the cycle. Musical – music will be incorporated similarly to musical chairs. When the music stops, the students will stop and they will evaluate their roles in the cycle. Interpersonal – students will be working in the groups with their cycle-mates. Intrapersonal – students will be completing the blog in pieces by themselves. They will eventually combine the information, but can break it up into parts and complete it on their own. Naturalist – students will be studying earth cycles, something that occurs everywhere in the natural world.
Standard 8 - Understands and uses a variety of formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and support the development of the learner. Rationale: The informal assessment is just me looking at them working in their body map groups. I will read their body language if they really know what they are doing or if they are confused and going along with it. I will know when I ‘stop the music’ if they are able to answer the questions regarding their place in the cycle. As for the formal assessment, students will be graded on a checklist regarding their wiki. Each cycle will have to answer questions and have things that they must include. I want them to be creative but I do not want them to forget the crucial information.
Teaching and Learning Sequence:
The desks or table will be moved out of the way to allow lots of space in the middle of the floor for students to be moving freely during their body map activity.
Agenda:
Introduction to earth cycles
Body map activity
Wiki writing
Wiki presenting
Students will understand the basics behind the water cycle, the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle and the energy cycle. They will understand that this is a basic introduction. They will simply be exposed to the information in the unit and awareness of earth’s systems. They are learning this content because it connects to everything else in the unit and also because it is something that occurs in the natural world. If you want to know what happens when you put things into the environment, you have to know where it goes and how it gets transported. Students describe the various cycles, physical and biological forces and processes, position in space, energy transformations, and human actions that affect the short-term and long-terms changes to the earth. Students will be describing cycles and processes. They will be learning about earth as a system and cycles in the next two lessons. They have to be able to recreate the information that they learned during the body map activity. To hook my students, I am going to read the background information about the Gaia hypothesis. (See attached). Where, Why, What, Hook and Tailor: Linguistic, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Naturalist, Spatial and Bodily-Kinesthetic.
Students will need to know their roles in the body map activity. They must know about the cycles and pick up on the connections between the cycles. They will see how the different cycles are similar and how they are different. Students will be given cards that have information regarding a cycle. There will be terms on them defined, pictures, etc. There is something different on every single one. They have to teach their group what is on their cards in order to participate. They have to participate in the cycle, someone will be water cycle – water, water cycle – pollution, water cycle – soil, water cycle - evaporation etc. I will have them be the cycle. They will have to tell each other how they are interacting. I will stop the music and a speaker from the group has to tell what everyone’s interaction is in that group. This will continue and then they will switch cards with someone from another cycle. They will know when to stop because there will be music playing, once the music stops, it is question time. Some cycles have a lot more terms that others, so there will be times when most of the class is participating in a cycle and the rest of the class is watching. There will be times that there are very few roles in the cycle. Other students will be asked to observe and answer questions about what they are doing. I am going to be asking questions and reading body language to make sure that the students aren’t too confused. They will then be given the rest of the period to work on their wikis. I will check for understanding by the way that they are answering my questions. I will also check that they are being successful in their conversations about the cycles while they are creating their wiki, while they present it, and then when they turn it into me finally. This is not something that they get to complete, and then they are done, it will be weaved through out the unit. It is not necessarily important that they are water cycle experts at the end of this lesson. Equip, Explore, Rethink and Tailors: Linguistic, Logical -mathematical, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Naturalist, Spatial and Bodily-Kinesthetic, Musical.
Students are going to use higher order thinking by integrating everything that they have learned into a wiki site. They have to use pictures, links and some sort of organization scheme to create a study guide. Not only does this study guide have to be for their classmates, but it is for them too. Students will be able to illustrate their knowledge of earth’s cycles and how they are related. This will allow any student who might choose to create the cycles on paper and then put them to the wiki or to find pictures that they think represents the cycle that they were given. The point is that they are defining the terms and explaining the process in a way that their classmates can understand and remember. In order to group students they will just choose a card initially. They will have different groups each time; they will just walk and swap. If someone ends up with a cycle they have already had, I will just switch two. To show evidence of learning, the students will have a quiz after the second lesson about cycles. They will have to show me that they understand the water cycle, not just regurgitating information and putting it on a wiki. This information is important for the rest of the unit; students will struggle with the proceeding lessons if they do not take a little bit of it in during this one. Students will be able to rethink their body map participation by creating a wiki about it. They can share their experience if they’d like or they can just create an outline with the information. They will revise by getting feedback from their peers about what they think is good and what they might need information about or criticism as far as organization goes. They will take those into consideration, along with my feedback and then refine their product to get the final grade. Explore, Experience, Rethink, Revise, Refine and Tailors: Linguistic, Logical -mathematical, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Naturalist, Spatial and Bodily-Kinesthetic, Musical.
Students will have the opportunity to evaluate themselves using the rubric. There will be a place where they will say what they should receive and then what I will give them. If they want to justify anything to me that will be on the bottom or on the back. I will provide feedback in the form of the rubric and comments on their wiki. I am not going to expect that it be perfect the first time they post it. I will give them comments, along with their classmates and they will have time to make their changes. This connects to the next lesson because we go in depth about earth as a system and comparing cycles and more about the cycles. Evaluate, Tailors: Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Intrapersonal and Naturalist.
Gaia Hypothesis
In 1979 James Lovelock, a British Scientist who worked for the NASA (USA) space program, reminded us of the idea that Planet Earth, like the Sun, is a conscious living being.
For just as our human body is composed of billions of cells working together as a single living being, so are the billions of life forms on Earth working together as a living super organism.
Looking at our Living Planet:
We can visualize the Equatorial rainforests functioning as the planet's lungs, exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide in concert with the oceans.
Observe the atmosphere functioning as a global respiratory system.
Imagine that our rivers and streams are like a circulatory system for the planetary body, bringing clean water and flushing the system.
Feel invisible currents of universal force that run longitudinally, latitudinally and diagonally around our planet. These unseen but sensed ley lines are like acupuncture meridians that carry this life force within the human body.
Notice that the whole planet "breathes" by contracting and expanding with the moon's gravitational pull.
Witness the seasonal cycles mirroring bodily changes, from the contraction of autumn to the inevitable rebirth of spring.
When we gaze upon the global ecosystem as a whole, we find that everything works in ordered splendor and unison, overlapping from the smallest of algae, bacteria and plankton to the migration of birds, caribou and whales.
Everything is intelligently self-regulating and acting coherently and wisely except human kind.
Here we are Homo sapiens, forgetful progeny, mostly composed of 70% water and 30% earth, much like the surface of our mother, Gaia, Planet Earth.
As we approach the 21st century through the media of electronic communications and space photographs, we are coming to the realizations that all of humanity born on this blue and white, jewel-like planet are, like seed and spore, a product of Mother Earth.
Since our bodies are composed of the minerals and elements of the Earth, shouldn't we be known as Gaia's children?
For if our DNA could be traced back from our mother's mother all the way back into the past, we would see that we have all come from Mother Earth.
Thus we are all the family of humanity, being global and planetary beings. Yet will we remember to utilize our mind, the full 100% of our brain and inner potential? Can you feel the pulse of the Earth beneath our feet?
Water Cycle:
The process begins with condensation, when water vapor condenses in the atmosphere to form clouds. Condensation occurs when the temperature of the air or earth changes. Water changes states when temperatures fluctuate. So when the air cools enough, water vapor has to condense on particles in the air to form clouds. This process is very noticeable on plants as they dew in the morning.
As clouds form, winds move them across the globe, spreading out the water vapor. When eventually the clouds can't hold the moisture, they release it in the form of precipitation, which can be snow, rain, hail, etc.
The next three stages: infiltration, runoff, and evaporation occur simultaneously. Infiltration occurs when precipitation seeps into the ground. This depends a lot on the permeability of the ground.
Permeability is the measure of how easily something flows through a substance. The more permeable, the more precipitation seeps into the ground. If precipitation occurs faster than it can infiltrate the ground, it becomes runoff. Runoff remains on the surface and flows into streams, rivers, and eventually large bodies such as lakes or the ocean. Infiltrated groundwater moves similarly as it recharges rivers and heads towards large bodies of water.
As both of these processes are happening, the power of the sun is driving this cycle by causing evaporation. Evaporation is the change of liquid water to a vapor. Sunlight aids this process as it raises the temperature of liquid water in oceans and lakes. As the liquid heats, molecule are released and change into a gas. Warm air rises up into the atmosphere and becomes the vapor involved in condensation.
Considering so little of the water on earth is drinkable to people, it is amazing the supply has survived as long as it has. The hydrologic cycle continues to move water and keep sources fresh. It is estimated that 100 million billion gallons a year are cycled through this process. Without this process life on Earth would be impossible. We need it to sustain us and for all of our life processes to function. Without water, life would not be possible on Earth. Nitrogen Cycle
One of the most limiting factors for growth in plants and animals. Most nitrogen exists as a gas. In this common molecule, two nitrogen atoms are bound by a strong triple bond that makes them all but completely unavailable to any other atom, ion, compound, or organism. Yet without sufficient levels of available nitrogen, organisms would be unable to create their structures or to perform vital functions. Nitrogen is a key building block in a number of important molecules, such as nucleic acids, amino acids, and proteins. Without it, life as we know it would be impossible.
Two natural forces are responsible for most of the gaseous nitrogen that is "fixed," or made available to, plants and animals. Electricity in the form of lightning is one such force. When a bolt of lightning travels through the atmosphere it breaks the triple bond holding the nitrogen gas molecule together, enabling free nitrogen atoms to bond with oxygen in the air to form nitrogen oxides. These compounds dissolve in atmospheric moisture to form nitrates that then fall as rain.
The other force, although less spectacular than lightning, is no less energetic. Countless bacteria, including those living freely in the soil and those found on the roots of some types of plants, fix more than ten times the nitrogen released by lightning strikes. These single-celled organisms break the bonds in nitrogen gas molecules and combine free nitrogen atoms with hydrogen to form ammonium, an ion that is readily absorbed by plants. Some types of nitrogen-fixing bacteria have formed symbiotic relationships with certain types of plants. Legumes, such as peas and beans, support colonies of bacteria called rhizobium, in special structures called nodules, which appear directly on their roots. While the bacteria provide the plants with nitrogen, the plants provide the bacteria with energy-rich carbohydrates and a moist environment in which they can thrive.
Human activities have severely altered the nitrogen levels in some ecosystems. Although nitrogen is typically a limited resource in many environments, it has been made available in massive quantities as a result of agricultural and industrial practices. Sometimes described as "nutrient pollution," the result has often been catastrophic. For instance, when waste such as nitrogen-rich sewage and fertilizers pours into ponds, lakes, and streams, the result is an overabundance of algae (also know as an algal bloom). The eventual death of these microscopic plants leads to their decomposition by bacteria—a process that uses vast quantities of oxygen. Following an algal bloom, decomposing bacteria in lakes and ponds become so abundant and oxygen depletion so complete that fish and other aquatic life may die. In the years since scientists discovered this connection, cities and farmers have taken measures to control the flow of nitrogen into ecosystems, so that this powerful element is available at the right quantity where it is needed and less pervasive where it is not. Carbon Cycle
Carbon is an element. It is part of oceans, air, rocks, soil and all living things. Carbon doesn’t stay in one place. It is always on the move!
Carbon moves from the atmosphere to plants.
In the atmosphere, carbon is attached to oxygen in a gas called carbon dioxide (CO2). With the help of the Sun, through the process of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is pulled from the air to make plant food from carbon.
Carbon moves from plants to animals.
Through food chains, the carbon that is in plants moves to the animals that eats them. Animals that eat other animals get the carbon from their food too.
Carbon moves from plants and animals to the ground.
When plants and animals die, their bodies, wood and leaves decay bringing the carbon into the ground. Some becomes buried miles underground and will become fossil fuels in millions and millions of years.
Carbon moves from living things to the atmosphere.
Each time you exhale, you are releasing carbon dioxide gas (CO2) into the atmosphere. Animals and plants get rid of carbon dioxide gas through a process called respiration.
Carbon moves from fossil fuels to the atmosphere when fuels are burned.
When humans burn fossil fuels to power factories, power plants, cars and trucks, most of the carbon quickly enters the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas. Each year, five and a half billion tons of carbon is released by burning fossil fuels. That’s the weight of 100 million adult African elephants! Of the huge amount of carbon that is released from fuels, 3.3 billion tons enters the atmosphere and most of the rest becomes dissolved in seawater.
Carbon moves from the atmosphere to the oceans.
The oceans, and other bodies of water, soak up some carbon from the atmosphere. Animals that live in the ocean use the carbon to build their skeletons and shells.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and traps heat in the atmosphere. Without it and other greenhouse gases, Earth would be a frozen world. But humans have burned so much fuel that there is about 30% more carbon dioxide in the air today than there was about 150 years ago. The atmosphere has not held this much carbon for at least 420,000 years according to data from ice cores. More greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in our atmosphere are causing our planet to become warmer.
Carbon moves through our planet over longer time scales as well. For example, over millions of years weathering of rocks on land can add carbon to surface water which eventually runs off to the ocean. Over long time scales, carbon is removed from seawater when the shells and bones of marine animals and plankton collect on the sea floor. These shells and bones are made of limestone, which contains carbon. When they are deposited on the sea floor, carbon is stored from the rest of the carbon cycle for some amount of time. The amount of limestone deposited in the ocean depends somewhat on the amount of warm, tropical, shallow oceans on the planet because this is where prolific limestone-producing organisms such as corals live. The carbon can be released back to the atmosphere if the limestone melts or is metamorphosed in a subduction zone. Energy Cycle
Heat is energy that is transferred between two objects or substances of different temperatures; heat typically flows from a warmer material to a cooler material. Generally, when heat is transferred to a material, the motion of its particles speeds up and its temperature increases.
There are three methods of heat transfer: radiation, conduction, and convection. Radiation transfers energy by electromagnetic waves, a method in which heat can transfer even in the absence of matter (through outer space, for example). When electromagnetic radiation strikes an object, the energy carried by the electromagnetic wave is transferred to the object, causing the particle motion within the object to increase. For example, a microwave oven emits microwave radiation to transfer heat to food. Similarly, the reason that you can feel the warmth of an object at a distance, such as from the Sun or a light bulb, is due to the transfer of heat by radiation. While all matter emits and absorbs electromagnetic radiation, some materials are better at absorbing radiation than others; shiny surfaces, for example, tend to reflect rather than absorb radiation.
Conduction transfers heat through direct contact. If two objects are placed in contact with each other, heat flows from the warmer object (with faster-moving particles) to the cooler object (with slower-moving particles) by the direct interaction of the particles. When the faster particles collide with the slower particles, they transfer some of their energy to the slower particles. For example, when a hot pan is placed on a counter, the counter increases in temperature as the faster-moving molecules of the pan collide with and increase the motion of the molecules of the counter. At the same time, the molecules of the pan slow down, and the temperature of the pan drops. Some materials, such as metals, are good conductors of heat while other materials, such as glass, wood, plastic, and air, are not. Materials that are not good at transferring heat by conduction are known as insulators.
Convection transfers heat through the movement of fluids or gases in circulation cells. A pot of water heated on a stove provides an example. The pot itself, and then water at the bottom, becomes heated by conduction. When water is heated, it expands, becomes less dense, and rises up through the surrounding cooler water. The cooler, denser water then sinks to the bottom of the pot where it, in turn, is heated. The convection current—the circulating path of hot water rising and cold water sinking—transfers heat by actually moving the warmer water to a new area. It also forces the hot water to mix with the cooler water and increases conduction by bringing the cool water to the bottom of the pot.
Group Member Names:_
Cycle Date_
Cycle Wiki Checklist
Student /50
Ms. B /50
Points
What you need to have:
2
Name of Cycle
10
All of the words on the puzzle picture defined.
4
How the cycle contributes to our lives.
4
Clear and accurate information
12
Description of your participation in the cycle activity. What roles did you play? All group members should have their own short paragraph.
4
At least two pictures embedded
4
At least three links embedded to present to class.
6
Works cited. Including all internet sources, book sources, picture sources.
4
At least one book source.
Please include your contribution to the wiki, what did you do? How did you help?
Explain how you participated in the cycle activity? What were you?
Evaluating Internet Resources: A Checklist
Unlike most print resources such as magazines, journals, and books that go through a filtering process (e.g. editing, peer review, library selection), information on the Internet is mostly unfiltered. So using and citing information found over the Internet is a little like swimming without a lifeguard. The following guide provides a starting point for evaluating the World Wide websites and other Internet information.
Authority
[ ] Who is the author of the piece?
[ ] Is the author the original creator of the information?
[ ] Does the author list his or her occupation, years of experience, position, education, or other credentials?
Affiliation
[ ] What institution (company, organization, government, university, etc.) or Internet provider supports this information?
[ ] If it is a commercial Internet provider, does the author appear to have any connection with a larger institution?
[ ] Does the institution appear to exercise quality control over the information appearing under its name?
[ ] Does the author's affiliation with this particular institution appear to bias the information?
Currency
[ ] When was the information created or last updated?
Purpose
[ ] What appears to be the purpose for this information? [ ] Inform [ ] Explain [ ] Persuade
Audience
[ ] Who is the intended audience?
Compared to what?
[ ] What does this work/site offer compared to other works, including non-Internet works?
Conclusion
[ ] Given all the information you determined from above, is this Internet site appropriate to add to your bookmark?
Adapted from: Wilkinson, G.L., Bennett, L., & Oliver, K. "Consolidated Listing of Evaluation Criteria and Quality Indicators" Educational Technology, March/April, 1997. Initially at: t2.coe.uga.edu/Faculty/gwilkinson/criteria.html - a link that no longer works.
LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Teacher’s Name: Rebecca Bubier Date of Lesson: One
Grade Level: 8 Topic: Earth Cycles
Objectives:
Maine Learning Results Alignment
E. The Living Environment
D2 Earth
Grades 6-8
Students describe the various cycles, physical and biological forces and processes, position in space, energy transformations, and human actions that affect the short-term and long-terms changes to the earth.
d. Describe significant Earth Resources and how their limited supply affects how they are used.
Rationale: This whole lesson is about various cycles that affect short-term and long-term changes to the earth. It is an introduction to earth’s cycles, earth as a system and seeing the things we do to the earth and how it can affect the earth and other people through these cycles.
Assessment
I will be able to see if students have an understanding of cycles while they are working on their body maps. If they do not understand the concepts there will be times for them to pause and for me to evaluate if they are having success in recreating the cycles.
Students will be graded on the success of their wiki space. They will each create a page similar to a blog but must be interactive and include pictures and links. They will have to present these to the class but it will be very informal. They are just going to talk about what they did during their body map and define the terms and talk a little about the cycle and where the students can get more information. It is going to be used as a study guide and a reference for the further lessons. All of this information is integrated in just about every lesson.
Integration
Technology – students will use the wiki as a resource for the other lessons. They have to use links and pictures and have interaction with other students.
Groupings
Differentiated Instruction
Linguistic – students will be using language and reading skills with the body map activity. They will be using those skills to create the wiki.
Logical – Mathematical – students will have an opportunity to take a very visual and kinesthetic activity and turn it into an outline of the most important information.
Spatial – there will be pictures on one of the note cards for every group. They will be able to visualize the cycle as they are moving and use the pictures on the cards for reference.
Bodily – Kinesthetic – students will be moving around the room as a cycle, they will be using their bodies to create pieces and parts of the cycle.
Musical – music will be incorporated similarly to musical chairs. When the music stops, the students will stop and they will evaluate their roles in the cycle.
Interpersonal – students will be working in the groups with their cycle-mates.
Intrapersonal – students will be completing the blog in pieces by themselves. They will eventually combine the information, but can break it up into parts and complete it on their own.
Naturalist – students will be studying earth cycles, something that occurs everywhere in the natural world.
I will review student’s IEP, 504 or ELLIDEP and make appropriate modifications and accommodations.
Students will be using type II technology to create a wiki that has links, pictures and videos. They will be commenting on each other’s wiki to see if their information is sufficient for what they think they need to know. There will be both constructive criticism and positive feedback to help the students improve their wiki.
Materials, Resources and Technology
Laptops
Teacher will need:
Whiteboard
Markers
Eraser
Laptop
Note cards
Content notes
Source for Lesson Plan and Research
http://www.ozi.com/ourplanet/gaia.html
http://www.und.edu/instruct/eng/fkarner/pages/cycle.htm
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/lsps07/sci/life/eco/nitrogen/index.html
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Water/co2_cycle.html
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/lsps07/sci/phys/energy/heattransfer/index.html
http://www.dasnr.okstate.edu/s257/h2ocycle.gif
http://fig.cox.miami.edu/Faculty/Dana/carboncycle.gif
http://www.h2ou.com/h2images/NitrogenCycle-smF.jpg
http://www.scienceblog.org/images/nitrogencycle.jpg
http://www.repp.org/bioenergy/bioenergy-cycle-med2.jpg
http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/images/atmosphere/energy/energy_balance.jpg
http://www.infopeople.org/resources/select.html
Maine Standards for Initial Teacher Certification and Rationale
Rationale: I used the theory of different learning styles to successfully accommodate different ways in which students learn. It is important that students are in a comfortable and supporting environment in my classroom.
Beach Ball - Students will have the opportunity to search the web for information, and write their wiki. They will have the choice of which role they take in wiki writing. The body map activity will be very chaotic with music and lots of moving. Students will have to participate and feel spontaneous.
Clipboard – Students will have instructions written on note cards, that they can keep with them. They will have defined roles for their participation in the body map activity.
Microscope - Students really have to incorporate the knowledge that they just gained about different cycles. They have to use the information to create a study guide for their fellow classmates and themselves. They have to answer questions regarding their roles in the body map activity.
Puppy - There is no question that there is an environment of respect in my classroom. Students will be respectful of the questions that students have and also the language in which they are using around all students.
Rationale: I used one of the facets of understanding because I feel that it is more important that students have a wide range of information looking at cycles and functions in earth’s system. The point of this lesson is just to introduce cycles and the basic concept of earth as a system. It is not designed to be in depth, which will come later in the unit.
Students will illustrate their knowledge of the earth’s cycles and how they interact with each other.
Rationale: I used the theory of multiple intelligences because I feel it is the best way to accommodate all types of learners and to maintain a sense of equality among students in my classroom.
Linguistic – students will be using language and reading skills with the body map activity. They will be using those skills to create the wiki.
Logical-mathematical – students will have an opportunity to take a very visual and kinesthetic activity and turn it into an outline of the most important information.
Spatial – there will be pictures on one of the note cards for every group. They will be able to visualize the cycle as they are moving and use the pictures on the cards for reference.
Bodily-kinesthetic – students will be moving around the room as a cycle, they will be using their bodies to create pieces and parts of the cycle.
Musical – music will be incorporated similarly to musical chairs. When the music stops, the students will stop and they will evaluate their roles in the cycle.
Interpersonal – students will be working in the groups with their cycle-mates.
Intrapersonal – students will be completing the blog in pieces by themselves. They will eventually combine the information, but can break it up into parts and complete it on their own.
Naturalist – students will be studying earth cycles, something that occurs everywhere in the natural world.
Rationale: The informal assessment is just me looking at them working in their body map groups. I will read their body language if they really know what they are doing or if they are confused and going along with it. I will know when I ‘stop the music’ if they are able to answer the questions regarding their place in the cycle. As for the formal assessment, students will be graded on a checklist regarding their wiki. Each cycle will have to answer questions and have things that they must include. I want them to be creative but I do not want them to forget the crucial information.
Teaching and Learning Sequence:
Agenda:
Students will understand the basics behind the water cycle, the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle and the energy cycle. They will understand that this is a basic introduction. They will simply be exposed to the information in the unit and awareness of earth’s systems. They are learning this content because it connects to everything else in the unit and also because it is something that occurs in the natural world. If you want to know what happens when you put things into the environment, you have to know where it goes and how it gets transported. Students describe the various cycles, physical and biological forces and processes, position in space, energy transformations, and human actions that affect the short-term and long-terms changes to the earth. Students will be describing cycles and processes. They will be learning about earth as a system and cycles in the next two lessons. They have to be able to recreate the information that they learned during the body map activity. To hook my students, I am going to read the background information about the Gaia hypothesis. (See attached). Where, Why, What, Hook and Tailor: Linguistic, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Naturalist, Spatial and Bodily-Kinesthetic.
Gaia Hypothesis
In 1979 James Lovelock, a British Scientist who worked for the NASA (USA) space program, reminded us of the idea that Planet Earth, like the Sun, is a conscious living being.
For just as our human body is composed of billions of cells working together as a single living being, so are the billions of life forms on Earth working together as a living super organism.
Looking at our Living Planet:
We can visualize the Equatorial rainforests functioning as the planet's lungs, exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide in concert with the oceans.Observe the atmosphere functioning as a global respiratory system.
Imagine that our rivers and streams are like a circulatory system for the planetary body, bringing clean water and flushing the system.
Feel invisible currents of universal force that run longitudinally, latitudinally and diagonally around our planet. These unseen but sensed ley lines are like acupuncture meridians that carry this life force within the human body.
Notice that the whole planet "breathes" by contracting and expanding with the moon's gravitational pull.
Witness the seasonal cycles mirroring bodily changes, from the contraction of autumn to the inevitable rebirth of spring.
When we gaze upon the global ecosystem as a whole, we find that everything works in ordered splendor and unison, overlapping from the smallest of algae, bacteria and plankton to the migration of birds, caribou and whales.
Everything is intelligently self-regulating and acting coherently and wisely except human kind.
Here we are Homo sapiens, forgetful progeny, mostly composed of 70% water and 30% earth, much like the surface of our mother, Gaia, Planet Earth.
As we approach the 21st century through the media of electronic communications and space photographs, we are coming to the realizations that all of humanity born on this blue and white, jewel-like planet are, like seed and spore, a product of Mother Earth.
Since our bodies are composed of the minerals and elements of the Earth, shouldn't we be known as Gaia's children?
For if our DNA could be traced back from our mother's mother all the way back into the past, we would see that we have all come from Mother Earth.
Thus we are all the family of humanity, being global and planetary beings. Yet will we remember to utilize our mind, the full 100% of our brain and inner potential?
Can you feel the pulse of the Earth beneath our feet?
Water Cycle:
The process begins with condensation, when water vapor condenses in the atmosphere to form clouds. Condensation occurs when the temperature of the air or earth changes. Water changes states when temperatures fluctuate. So when the air cools enough, water vapor has to condense on particles in the air to form clouds. This process is very noticeable on plants as they dew in the morning.
As clouds form, winds move them across the globe, spreading out the water vapor. When eventually the clouds can't hold the moisture, they release it in the form of precipitation, which can be snow, rain, hail, etc.
The next three stages: infiltration, runoff, and evaporation occur simultaneously. Infiltration occurs when precipitation seeps into the ground. This depends a lot on the permeability of the ground.
Permeability is the measure of how easily something flows through a substance. The more permeable, the more precipitation seeps into the ground. If precipitation occurs faster than it can infiltrate the ground, it becomes runoff. Runoff remains on the surface and flows into streams, rivers, and eventually large bodies such as lakes or the ocean. Infiltrated groundwater moves similarly as it recharges rivers and heads towards large bodies of water.
As both of these processes are happening, the power of the sun is driving this cycle by causing evaporation. Evaporation is the change of liquid water to a vapor. Sunlight aids this process as it raises the temperature of liquid water in oceans and lakes. As the liquid heats, molecule are released and change into a gas. Warm air rises up into the atmosphere and becomes the vapor involved in condensation.
Considering so little of the water on earth is drinkable to people, it is amazing the supply has survived as long as it has. The hydrologic cycle continues to move water and keep sources fresh. It is estimated that 100 million billion gallons a year are cycled through this process. Without this process life on Earth would be impossible. We need it to sustain us and for all of our life processes to function. Without water, life would not be possible on Earth.
Nitrogen Cycle
One of the most limiting factors for growth in plants and animals. Most nitrogen exists as a gas. In this common molecule, two nitrogen atoms are bound by a strong triple bond that makes them all but completely unavailable to any other atom, ion, compound, or organism. Yet without sufficient levels of available nitrogen, organisms would be unable to create their structures or to perform vital functions. Nitrogen is a key building block in a number of important molecules, such as nucleic acids, amino acids, and proteins. Without it, life as we know it would be impossible.
Two natural forces are responsible for most of the gaseous nitrogen that is "fixed," or made available to, plants and animals. Electricity in the form of lightning is one such force. When a bolt of lightning travels through the atmosphere it breaks the triple bond holding the nitrogen gas molecule together, enabling free nitrogen atoms to bond with oxygen in the air to form nitrogen oxides. These compounds dissolve in atmospheric moisture to form nitrates that then fall as rain.
The other force, although less spectacular than lightning, is no less energetic. Countless bacteria, including those living freely in the soil and those found on the roots of some types of plants, fix more than ten times the nitrogen released by lightning strikes. These single-celled organisms break the bonds in nitrogen gas molecules and combine free nitrogen atoms with hydrogen to form ammonium, an ion that is readily absorbed by plants. Some types of nitrogen-fixing bacteria have formed symbiotic relationships with certain types of plants. Legumes, such as peas and beans, support colonies of bacteria called rhizobium, in special structures called nodules, which appear directly on their roots. While the bacteria provide the plants with nitrogen, the plants provide the bacteria with energy-rich carbohydrates and a moist environment in which they can thrive.
Human activities have severely altered the nitrogen levels in some ecosystems. Although nitrogen is typically a limited resource in many environments, it has been made available in massive quantities as a result of agricultural and industrial practices. Sometimes described as "nutrient pollution," the result has often been catastrophic. For instance, when waste such as nitrogen-rich sewage and fertilizers pours into ponds, lakes, and streams, the result is an overabundance of algae (also know as an algal bloom). The eventual death of these microscopic plants leads to their decomposition by bacteria—a process that uses vast quantities of oxygen. Following an algal bloom, decomposing bacteria in lakes and ponds become so abundant and oxygen depletion so complete that fish and other aquatic life may die. In the years since scientists discovered this connection, cities and farmers have taken measures to control the flow of nitrogen into ecosystems, so that this powerful element is available at the right quantity where it is needed and less pervasive where it is not.
Carbon Cycle
Carbon is an element. It is part of oceans, air, rocks, soil and all living things. Carbon doesn’t stay in one place. It is always on the move!
In the atmosphere, carbon is attached to oxygen in a gas called carbon dioxide (CO2). With the help of the Sun, through the process of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is pulled from the air to make plant food from carbon.
Through food chains, the carbon that is in plants moves to the animals that eats them. Animals that eat other animals get the carbon from their food too.
When plants and animals die, their bodies, wood and leaves decay bringing the carbon into the ground. Some becomes buried miles underground and will become fossil fuels in millions and millions of years.
Each time you exhale, you are releasing carbon dioxide gas (CO2) into the atmosphere. Animals and plants get rid of carbon dioxide gas through a process called respiration.
When humans burn fossil fuels to power factories, power plants, cars and trucks, most of the carbon quickly enters the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas. Each year, five and a half billion tons of carbon is released by burning fossil fuels. That’s the weight of 100 million adult African elephants! Of the huge amount of carbon that is released from fuels, 3.3 billion tons enters the atmosphere and most of the rest becomes dissolved in seawater.
The oceans, and other bodies of water, soak up some carbon from the atmosphere. Animals that live in the ocean use the carbon to build their skeletons and shells.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and traps heat in the atmosphere. Without it and other greenhouse gases, Earth would be a frozen world. But humans have burned so much fuel that there is about 30% more carbon dioxide in the air today than there was about 150 years ago. The atmosphere has not held this much carbon for at least 420,000 years according to data from ice cores. More greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in our atmosphere are causing our planet to become warmer.
Carbon moves through our planet over longer time scales as well. For example, over millions of years weathering of rocks on land can add carbon to surface water which eventually runs off to the ocean. Over long time scales, carbon is removed from seawater when the shells and bones of marine animals and plankton collect on the sea floor. These shells and bones are made of limestone, which contains carbon. When they are deposited on the sea floor, carbon is stored from the rest of the carbon cycle for some amount of time. The amount of limestone deposited in the ocean depends somewhat on the amount of warm, tropical, shallow oceans on the planet because this is where prolific limestone-producing organisms such as corals live. The carbon can be released back to the atmosphere if the limestone melts or is metamorphosed in a subduction zone.
Energy Cycle
Heat is energy that is transferred between two objects or substances of different temperatures; heat typically flows from a warmer material to a cooler material. Generally, when heat is transferred to a material, the motion of its particles speeds up and its temperature increases.
There are three methods of heat transfer: radiation, conduction, and convection. Radiation transfers energy by electromagnetic waves, a method in which heat can transfer even in the absence of matter (through outer space, for example). When electromagnetic radiation strikes an object, the energy carried by the electromagnetic wave is transferred to the object, causing the particle motion within the object to increase. For example, a microwave oven emits microwave radiation to transfer heat to food. Similarly, the reason that you can feel the warmth of an object at a distance, such as from the Sun or a light bulb, is due to the transfer of heat by radiation. While all matter emits and absorbs electromagnetic radiation, some materials are better at absorbing radiation than others; shiny surfaces, for example, tend to reflect rather than absorb radiation.
Conduction transfers heat through direct contact. If two objects are placed in contact with each other, heat flows from the warmer object (with faster-moving particles) to the cooler object (with slower-moving particles) by the direct interaction of the particles. When the faster particles collide with the slower particles, they transfer some of their energy to the slower particles. For example, when a hot pan is placed on a counter, the counter increases in temperature as the faster-moving molecules of the pan collide with and increase the motion of the molecules of the counter. At the same time, the molecules of the pan slow down, and the temperature of the pan drops. Some materials, such as metals, are good conductors of heat while other materials, such as glass, wood, plastic, and air, are not. Materials that are not good at transferring heat by conduction are known as insulators.
Convection transfers heat through the movement of fluids or gases in circulation cells. A pot of water heated on a stove provides an example. The pot itself, and then water at the bottom, becomes heated by conduction. When water is heated, it expands, becomes less dense, and rises up through the surrounding cooler water. The cooler, denser water then sinks to the bottom of the pot where it, in turn, is heated. The convection current—the circulating path of hot water rising and cold water sinking—transfers heat by actually moving the warmer water to a new area. It also forces the hot water to mix with the cooler water and increases conduction by bringing the cool water to the bottom of the pot.
Group Member Names:_
Cycle Date_
Cycle Wiki Checklist
/50
Please include your contribution to the wiki, what did you do? How did you help?
Explain how you participated in the cycle activity? What were you?
Evaluating Internet Resources: A Checklist
Unlike most print resources such as magazines, journals, and books that go through a filtering process (e.g. editing, peer review, library selection), information on the Internet is mostly unfiltered. So using and citing information found over the Internet is a little like swimming without a lifeguard. The following guide provides a starting point for evaluating the World Wide websites and other Internet information.Authority
[ ] Who is the author of the piece?
[ ] Is the author the original creator of the information?[ ] Does the author list his or her occupation, years of experience, position, education, or other credentials?
Affiliation
[ ] What institution (company, organization, government, university, etc.) or Internet provider supports this information?[ ] If it is a commercial Internet provider, does the author appear to have any connection with a larger institution?
[ ] Does the institution appear to exercise quality control over the information appearing under its name?
[ ] Does the author's affiliation with this particular institution appear to bias the information?
Currency
[ ] When was the information created or last updated?Purpose
[ ] What appears to be the purpose for this information? [ ] Inform [ ] Explain [ ] PersuadeAudience
[ ] Who is the intended audience?Compared to what?
[ ] What does this work/site offer compared to other works, including non-Internet works?Conclusion
[ ] Given all the information you determined from above, is this Internet site appropriate to add to your bookmark?Adapted from: Wilkinson, G.L., Bennett, L., & Oliver, K. "Consolidated Listing of Evaluation Criteria and Quality Indicators" Educational Technology, March/April, 1997. Initially at: t2.coe.uga.edu/Faculty/gwilkinson/criteria.html - a link that no longer works.